


Trust

by kiite



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Gen, Injury, Mentions of Sexual Content, Pre-Relationship, Trans Character, Trust Issues, but no actual sexual content, not super graphic descriptions of wounds but there is some
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-06 13:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15196007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/pseuds/kiite
Summary: Crow is forced to rely on someone else, much to his chagrin.





	1. Chapter 1

The brick glittered crimson as Crow leaned against the alley wall, hand on his wound. The sound of his own heaving breaths was all he could hear, occasionally interrupted by grunts of pain when he applied pressure to his side. Crow had to force himself not to sit down and rest his eyes; he couldn’t risk drifting off here.

The bastard had come out of nowhere, knife buried in Crow’s side and a hand in Crow’s pocket before the orange haired duelist had a chance to react. Crow didn’t even catch a glimpse of their face; by the time his mind caught up, Crow was alone with a stab wound in his left side. And without his wallet.

He tried to work up the motivation to trudge home, but it was hard; everything hurt, and he just wanted to stay still. He was lucky there wasn’t much in his wallet; he never kept a lot in there for this very reason. This was far from the first mugging he’d been privy to.

“You okay?” A voice asked, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Crow cursed himself for not hearing the other person’s approach over his own heavy breathing. He spun, keeping one hand on his wound while the other brandished a small blade he kept hidden in his jacket. Right now, he knew he looked like a cornered, wounded animal, and he wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of that.

The other person’s response was immediate; they raised their hands in a placating gesture, taking a step back. Now closer to the lights of the street, Crow could see it was a man, slightly taller than himself, and possibly around his age. His purple and blue hair seemed to glow against the lights. He didn’t lower the knife.

“Whoa, hey. No need for that.” The man said, sounding alarmed. He lowered his hands back down, but made no move to step forward again. “I just want to help. You’re hurt, right?” His eyes flickered down to where Crow’s jacket was gradually staining a much darker shade. “I can help.”

Crow narrowed his eyes, not looking away from the man for a second. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t need help; even just someone to support him on the walk home would be fine, then he could fix himself up. But that didn’t mean he was willing to put his trust in this stranger. He’d made that mistake one too many times.

“Why?” Crow asked, his voice not as strong as he would have liked. When you’re shorter and more lithe than most, you have to draw from other places for your intimidation tactics. Crow had to hope the knife would be enough.

“Why?” the man echoed, confused. Crow hated when people repeated his questions like that. “Because… you’re hurt? And you’re probably a pretty good person.” the stranger answered, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Crow was knocked slightly off-kilter by this answer. “What makes you think I’m a good person?” he questioned, genuinely curious. Crow had half a mind to gesture to his face full of markers for emphasis, but that would mean moving either his pressure or his knife, neither of which he was willing to do. He settled for a suspicious stare.

“Oh, well, I see you around town sometimes,” the man responded. “At the store and the garage and stuff. You’ve always got those kids following you around.” He gave a little smile, eyes softening around the edges. “You know what they say, kids are the best judges of character. And those kids seem to really like you, so I don’t see how you could be all that bad.”

Crow was dumbfounded by the man’s logic. Trusting someone before you really knew anything about them? In Crow’s book, that either made you an idiot, or the most naive sap on the planet. If this guy really wanted to hurt him, he would have done it already. Crow slipped the knife back into his jacket, noting the look of relief on the other man’s face.

“Alright,” the stranger said, sounding more relaxed, “now to get you fixed up. Where do you live?” Crow shot him a look that screamed “I’m getting the knife back out”, and the man quickly backpedaled, realizing he’d asked the wrong question. “I meant like, how far? My place is five minutes away. Farther or closer?”

“Farther.” Crow mumbled, not particularly liking the idea of going to this stranger’s home, but realizing he might not make it back to his own in his condition. The man nodded, understanding Crow’s trepidation.

“My place it is, then. You don’t have to like, come in or anything though if you don’t want to. I can bring the first-aid kit outside.” Crow just nodded in agreement, glad to be given the option. He had no plans to enter the man’s house in the first place, but he felt slightly more comfortable knowing the man wouldn’t try to force him in.

The stranger took a single step before pausing. “Is it alright if I…?” Crow nodded again, feeling too tired to give verbal answers, and the man continued taking hesitant steps towards him. Once he was in reach, he bent his knees and slung Crow’s arm over his shoulder, giving Crow someone to lean on.

The walk was excruciatingly slow. The stranger kept a hand on Crow’s back, helping to keep him upright, while Crow did his best to avoid leaning entirely on him. They had to take multiple breaks, Crow muttering apologies as he caught his breath. The other man just gave him kind, patient smiles that confused Crow to no end.

“We’re here.” The man said, slowing their pace and turning them down a path. He leaned Crow against a wall, pulling out a key and undoing the lock on the fence. Once inside the yard, he helped Crow sit down on the steps outside the door. “I’ll go grab the first aid kit, one second.”

Once the man was inside, Crow twisted around to get a better view of the building. It would be generous to call it a house; in all honesty, it wasn’t much more than a large shack. The paint was peeling where it wasn’t already gone, and there was a tarp covering some holes in the roof. It made Crow feel significantly better about his home.

One thing that did catch Crow’s attention was the smaller shack hidden in the back. It looked newer, the wide door secured with a much heftier lock. If Crow had to guess, it probably protected something pretty valuable, perhaps a D-Wheel judging by the door size.

“Sorry for the wait!” The man said, settling down on the steps with Crow as he unpacked the first aid kid. “I would have taken you to a hospital, but… you know.” He said, looking sad.

Crow did know. Because the Tops couldn’t give less of a shit about the Commons, all the hospitals around were volunteer run; the small population of trained medical personnel worked together with volunteers willing to follow their instructions. Unfortunately, very few of these hospitals were open at night, due to the very small staff.

Besides, Crow knew that they wouldn’t be able to do much better than whatever a first aid kit could do. There was no way for them to get anesthesia, so many of the people who came in for surgery didn’t survive. Really, the hospital was best for setting bones and dealing with illness.

“May I, um…” the stranger trailed off, gesturing to Crow’s jacket and shirt. Crow nodded, helping him remove the sleeveless jacket. He was hesitant to remove his shirt, but he knew the man needed access to the wound, so he complied. If the man noticed the pair of surgical scars on his chest, he didn’t say anything. Crow was thankful for that.

“I’m going to have to clean the wound.” the man warned, preparing the cloth. “It’s going to hurt, but you probably already knew that. Just wanted to keep you up to date.” The wound wasn’t life threatening, but it wasn’t shallow either. Crow knew it was going to hurt pretty bad.

“Want something to bite down on?” The man asked sympathetically, digging around in the kit when Crow nodded. He produced a clean rag, twisting it into a small, rope-like segment. “Sorry, this is the best I can do.” Crow thanked him anyway, taking it from his hand and securing it between his teeth.

“Alright, here goes. Sorry in advance.” As soon as the cloth made contact with his torn flesh, Crow was unspeakably grateful for the rag in his mouth; he bit down, forcing back a whine of pain. Even if he didn’t think the man wanted to hurt him right now, he still had no intention of showing weakness.

They continued on like that for a few minutes, the stranger cleaning and Crow trying to hide his pain. Crow was surprised by the gentleness of the man’s hands; he was still firm and thorough, but there was none of the roughness Crow had come to expect. It was… a pleasant surprise.

Finally, Shinji pulled away, bloody cloth in hand. He set it down and moved in to inspect the wound. “Hmm…” he contemplated, giving the area a once-over. “Shit. Yeah, that looks like some muscle down there. You’re going to want some stitches for that.”

Crow hissed through gritted teeth, particularly unhappy with this news. Was he really going to let this guy poke a needle through him? If he wasn’t lying about the muscle being visible, then Crow definitely needed the stitches. He glanced down at his own hand, realizing it was shaking pretty badly, and came to the conclusion that he was in no condition to administer stitches to himself. He also had no desire to push that responsibility onto any of his kids. That left him out of options.

With a sigh of resignation, Crow reluctantly agreed. “Go ahead.” he said, his voice a little hoarse. The man nodded, pulling a few more supplies out of the kit. He put on a pair of gloves before turning back to Crow.

“I’m sterilizing the needle now.” The man pressed a cloth to a bottle, dabbing the liquid on in multiple places. He began the clean the needle, running the wet cloth over it. They both knew it was a bit of a rush job, but they needed to get this wound closed.

He threaded the needle with the suture thread quickly before handing the twisted rag back to Crow. Crow grimaced and accepted it, putting it back in his mouth. “Here comes the not so fun part.” the man said, trying to give Crow a comforting smile. He got into position and began the process.

Luckily for Crow, the wound was not particularly long. That meant he didn’t need too many stitches. Unluckily for Crow, it still hurt like _hell._ It took all his self control to stop himself from moving, shifting away from the source of his pain. He bit down hard, the pain in his teeth a welcome distraction from the pain in his side. Thankfully, it was over pretty soon as the man finished up, cleaning away the left over blood with the cloth.

“All done! I'm going to wrap some gauze around it, just in case it starts bleeding again.” The stranger pulled out a roll of gauze, unraveling it as he looped it around Crow’s midsection carefully. Crow sat still, allowing him to work.

“What’s your game?” Crow asked, staring at the other man’s face, searching for answers. The stranger paused, looking up at Crow.

“Pardon?” He asked, cocking his head to the side slightly. “I… don’t understand.” At least he hadn’t just repeated his question this time, Crow thought impatiently. It seemed like he had to explain _everything_ to him.

Crow sighed, wanting to lean back but aware that the man hadn’t finished the bandaging. “What do you want from me?” Crow asked, tone guarded. When the man continued to look perplexed, he grew slightly more annoyed, but continued. “Listen, dude—“

“Shinji.” The man, apparently named Shinji, supplied, despite not being asked. Crow pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Alright, _Shinji,_ ” Crow resumed, a sharp edge to his voice. “I’m not an idiot. I’ve been around the block a few times. I know that people don’t just do things to be nice. Unless it’s for someone you love, people do things because they want something. Hell, even then, they probably want something.”

Crow tipped his head up, looking at the stars. Or at least where he imagined the stars would be. It was hard to see past all the smog. “I already let you help me, so it’s too late for me to refuse. So just… tell me what you want from me. A favor? Money? A blowjob?” Crow paused, wishing he had a cigarette for the first time in two years. “Well, I don’t do IOUs, just got robbed blind, and I’ve been told I have a nasty habit of biting down. Hurry up and get to the—“

Crow stopped his speech when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back down, seeing Shinji staring back at him with concern in his eyes. He had finished wrapping the gauze, pinning it in place before putting his hand on Crow’s bare shoulder.

“I’m not an idiot either.” Shinji said, his voice quiet. “I’ve been… hurt. And taken advantage of, by the Tops. Both systematically and… personally.” He paused, looking away for a moment. “I hate them so much. I really hate the Tops, and everything they did.” Shinji stopped again, collecting his thoughts. “But that didn’t make me want to take advantage of others. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; if we’re ever going to stand up to the Tops, we need to stand together, as Commons. We’re stronger together.”

Crow laughed a little, wincing at the pain it cause in his side. “Oh, so you’re one of those revolutionary types. Always fun to watch, up until they get arrested.”

Shinji quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t look particularly offended by Crow’s comment; if anything, he was amused. “And I take it you’re one of those cynical types?” he asked, voice smooth.

Crow shook his head, twirling one of his earrings. “No. I’m a _realist._ ” he said bitterly, eyes distant. “I used to be all about change and revolution. But getting marked changes you. And getting marked three different times changes you _a lot._ ” He closed his eyes, relaxing the tension in his shoulders. “Besides, I’ve got the kids now. I have to stay off Security’s radar, for their sakes.”

Shinji nodded thoughtfully. “I get it, you’ve got your reasons.” He moved to hand the shirt and jacket back to Crow, before remembering the bloodstains. “These are both pretty bad off…” Shinji said, examining the clothing. “Do you want to borrow one of my shirts? It might be a bit big on you, but it’s probably better than bloody, ripped clothes.”

Crow chewed on his bottom lip. His instincts told him to just put his shitty, gross clothes back on and live with it. Then he wouldn’t owe the man— Shinji, he reminded himself— any more than he already did. But against all better judgement, he just nodded, accepting the offer. Like a fool.

It only took Shinji a few moments to retrieve a shirt from inside the house, handing it to Crow with a smile. Wanting to chase the cold away from his bare skin as fast as possible, Crow quickly pulled the soft gray fabric over his head. He regretted not examining the shirt further; he looked down, seeing a realistic bee motif and the words “Bee Happy” printed on the front in a golden font.

Crow looked back up at Shinji, unamused. “What the hell is this.” he asked, but it didn’t sound like much of a question.

Shinji just shrugged. “Nightshirt.” When Crow’s glare didn’t relent, he smiled. “Aw, come on. It’s cute.”

Crow gave up, exhaustion getting the best of him. “Whatever. I just want to go home.” He stood up, with a little assistance from Shinji. “I still find it hard to believe you don’t want _anything_ from me.” Crow said, doubtfully.

“What are you, some weird genie?” Shinji asked, teasing. “Well, if I _have_ to want something from you…” Shinji said, contemplatively. Crow braced himself for the answer, ready for the worst. “I suppose all I really want is to know your name. If that’s okay, of course.”

Crow stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded. “You’re… Really weird, you know that?” Crow said, the ghost of a smile on his face. “Crow. My name’s Crow Hogan. I’ll give you that one for free.” He let out a little huff, watching his breath puff in the cold air. “I guess I can do an IOU, just this once.”

Shinji laughed, his smile warm and bright. “Sure thing, Crow. But don’t count on me ever cashing that in.” They continued their slow walk down the street, Crow leading them in the direction of his home. “I’m more like… your guardian angel!” Shinji exclaimed, a goofy grin on his face.

Crow just snorted, surprised to find himself having a real, genuine laugh. Typically he only had those around the house, in the company of his wonderful kids. But this eccentric, trusting stranger had wormed his way into Crow’s heart; and for once, Crow wasn’t sure that he wanted to keep him out.

“Sure. My guardian angel.”


	2. Chapter 2

Despite his earlier inhibitions, Crow allowed Shinji to walk him all the way home. He would have made the other man leave a few blocks back, but Crow was _so tired_ ; by the time he even realized it, he was standing in front of his door. He pulled his arm back from where it was supported around Shinji’s shoulders. 

“Whoa, you alright?” Shinji asked as Crow stumbled a bit, moving his hands to help steady the shorter man. Crow shook his head, steadying himself against the door frame and gently declining Shinji’s help.

“I’m fine,” Crow answered, voice dry. He just needed to sleep off the events of tonight, and everything could go back to normal. “Thanks again, for everything.”

Shinji smiled softly, face barely visible in the darkness. “‘Course. Take it easy, Crow.” He gave a small wave of his hand before turning away, heading back the way they had come. Crow waited until he was out of sight before jamming the door key into the lock, missing the first two attempts.

Within a minute of stepping into the house, Crow was nearly tackled to the ground by three familiar, fast moving blurs. Crow thanked the lucky stars that they hadn’t accidentally collided with his wound.

“What are you jackals doing up?” Crow laughed, a grin gracing his face despite his desire to scold them. He kneeled down to the ground slowly, putting himself on eye level with the kids.

Amanda looked at him with her wide, concerned eyes. “We were worried about you!” she said, resting her hands over her heart. “It’s really late, and you didn’t come home, so…”

Crow rubbed a hand on the top of her head comfortingly. “Sorry I made you guys worry. I ran into a little trouble, but I’m alright now.” He stood up, wincing a little at the pain in his side. “Now let’s get you kids into bed, yeah? It’s way past your bedtime.”

“Hey,” Frank said, tugging at the hem of Crow’s— _Shinji’s,_ Crow reminded himself _—_ shirt. “Whose shirt is this?” Crow could see from his face that the boy was already speculating.

“It’s, uh,” Crow stumbled around for an excuse. He didn’t want to tell them about the whole stabbing incident, that would only make them worry more. “My clothes got kinda ruined,” he said, raising up his balled up jacket and shirt slightly, “so someone let me borrow a shirt.” It wasn’t really a lie, just a simplified retelling, which didn’t particularly bother Crow.

Amanda and Frank exchanged looks, clueing Crow in to the fact that they could tell there was more to the story. They didn’t press it any further though, all three kids hugging Crow’s legs and waist tightly. “I’m glad you made a friend!” Amanda said, smiling.

Crow sputtered, caught off guard. “F-friend? I don’t know if he’s really— I mean, he helped me out, but I— _Friend_?” He tipped his head up, trying to hide his blush from the kids. Luckily, Crow was saved from his embarrassment by a small hand tugging at his pants.

Tanner looked up at Crow, eyelids heavy with sleepiness. “Can… can we sleep with you tonight?” He asked, voice small. Amanda and Frank both nodded, giving Crow the same doe-eyed look. Crow smiled, scooping Tanner up in his arms and holding him against his chest like a baby. 

“‘Course you can, kids. It’ll be a tight fit, but we can make it work.” Crow laughed softly, heart fluttering with affection. “Let’s go to bed. It’s way past _all_ of our bedtimes.” 

There was no protest from anyone as Crow led the way back to his bedroom.

* * *

 “So, like… What’s the deal?” Frank asked, whisking lazily away at the mixture in the chipped bowl he held.

Amanda huffed, gesturing for him to give it over. “You gotta go fast, like this.” She resumed whisking at a much faster pace, the batter starting to form. “And, it’s none of our business.” she added matter-of-factly, focusing on the task at hand.

Pulling mismatched plates from the cabinets, Frank snorted. “So? Nothing’s ever our business. We’re nosy by nature.” He set out four places at the table, one for each of them. “Anyway, you can't tell me you’re not even a _little_ interested.”

“...Well,” Amanda admitted, setting the bowl down to let the batter sit, “I didn’t say that.” She rested her face in her hands, deep in thought. “I mean… it’s definitely not the kind of shirt I ever thought Crow would wear.” 

Frank pulled up a seat at the counter. “Yeah, he hates tacky stuff like that. He wouldn’t wear that unless he was _really_ outta options.” Frank was reminded of the time they had bought Crow some silly shirt with a bird and a bad pun on it; he had thanked them graciously before shoving it in the bottom of his drawer and never touching it again. They didn’t blame him, though— it _was_ pretty bad.

“He did say someone helped him out— a guy, if I remember.” Amanda tapped her finger on her cheek. She looked around to make sure Crow hadn’t woken up yet before continuing. “So his shirt got “ruined”, and he had to borrow one… and he’s being really secretive about it…”

Both kids were silent for a few moments as they thought. Then, seemingly at the same time, both kids were struck by realization.

“A crime!” “A secret boyfriend!” Frank and Amanda cried out at the same time, slamming their palms on the table. They stared at each other for a moment before launching into their heated speculations.

“A crime? No way!” Amanda nearly yelled, shaking her head. She dropped her voice a little. “Crow said he doesn’t do that stuff anymore. I trust him.” Her voice was firm and scolding. “And anyway, why would he have been so embarrassed about it if it _wasn’t_ a boyfriend?”

Frank considered this for a moment, thinking it through. “We caught him off guard! He didn’t want to tell us about it, since he wants to set a good example.” He nodded assuredly, entirely certain in his theory. “He probably got shot at by Security, and that’s how his jacket and shirt got messed up! How else would they have gotten “ruined”?”

Amanda blushed, puffing out her cheeks. “I dunno… Adult stuff?” She poured the batter into the pan on the stove, making a careful circle. “Also, I think we’d _know_ if Crow got shot at.” she said with a frown. 

“I guess…” Frank conceded, watching the pancake cook. He sighed, laying his face on the counter. “I guess it is none of our business…” They prepared the rest of breakfast without any further speculation on the topic.

It was already eleven, which was a little late for breakfast; but Crow had yet to wake up, so Frank and Amanda figured they would surprise him with breakfast. As Amanda slid the last pancake on to Crow’s plate, a soft knock sounded from the door. Amanda and Frank exchanged looks.

“You go wake up Crow and Tanner for breakfast. I’ll see who’s at the door.” Amanda took her role as the oldest child very seriously. Frank nodded, scurrying off towards Crow’s bedroom. Amanda put the spatula down and moved towards the door, cracking it open slightly to peer outside.

The man outside was a stranger to Amanda. His blue and purple hair caught her eye immediately, as did his riding suit. She peered past him and quickly spotted his D-Wheel parked outside; the design was pretty cool, she noted. But most distinctly, there was...

Realization struck her suddenly as she made a connection; the strong smell of aftershave the man carried was the same that lingered on the shirt Crow was wearing. Amanda was sure of it; she had been closest to Crow last night, and had been almost overwhelmed by the smell. It wasn’t bad, per say, but not something she was accustomed to.

The man, noticing the door had open, shifted his attention downwards. “Oh!” he exclaimed, looking surprised. “Mornin’. Is Crow home? I’ve got something I need to get back to him.”

Amanda shifted on her feet a bit, thinking. She wasn’t really supposed to talk to strangers; technically, she wasn’t supposed to answer the door either, but it was too late for that. And anyway, she was almost _certain_ this was the mystery man Crow had alluded to… This could be her chance to find out what really happened.

Against her better judgement, Amanda opened the door a little further. “Mhm, Crow’s home! Why don’t you join us for breakfast?” She gave him her best smile, one that almost always worked on Crow. 

The man’s eyes widened, surprise growing. “Um… Are you sure? I mean, I can just drop it off with you and go—“ Amanda shook her head, stopping him.

“I insist! It’s the polite thing to do!” She said, still beaming. When the man hesitantly conceded, she opened the door further and properly invited him in. She laughed when she heard him quietly ask if Crow was okay with him coming in. 

“Crow always wants us to be gracious hosts! I’m just doing what he taught us.” She said, purposefully failing to mention her ulterior motives. She grabbed another plate and utensil set, making a fifth place at the table. As she slid one of her pancakes from her plate to the new one, the man waved a hand.

“You really don’t have to do that,” he laughed, a good natured smile on his face. Amanda insisted, putting the plate at the empty spot and pulling a chair over for him. Not wanting to be rude, the man accepted, clearly slightly awkward. “Uh, is Crow…?”

“He’s getting out of bed, he’ll be here soon.” Amanda supplied helpfully. “Oh! I need to ask you something important!” she said, excited. The man nodded, cocking his head. He still looked a little apprehensive.

“Are you dating my dad?”


End file.
